Sacramento, CA
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 20% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview very impressive with a low stress level and felt they did okay.
โญ Overall Impressions โผ
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
Most respondents rank this school above all other schools.
How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
Most respondents rank this school above other schools they applied to.
0 = Below, 10 = Above
What is your ranking of this school's location?
Most respondents rate the school location as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
Most respondents rate the areaโs cultural life as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was moderately responsive.
๐ฌ Interview Questions โผ
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools revolve around topics like reasons for pursuing medicine, challenges in medical school, ethical scenarios such as allocating limited resources, personal experiences in healthcare, and qualities of a good leader. Many respondents mentioned the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format with a nondisclosure agreement in place indicating a structured interview process with confidentiality requirements.
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NDA, MMI Interview
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signed an NDA
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UC Davis conducts the MMI; as such, interviewees sign a confidentiality agreement.
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mmi scenario- role play
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MMI
What was the most interesting question?
Students said most interesting question asked at University of California Davis School of Medicine discussed a range of topics, including ethics scenarios, personal motivations for medicine, challenges faced, handling patient dilemmas, and cultural competence. The interview format was noted to be an MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) where respondents may have been subject to a nondisclosure agreement regarding specific details of the questions asked.
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NDA, MMI Interview
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signed an NDA
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What was on of your biggest challenges during your path to medicine?
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I was asked something directly from my application even though I thought I was told it was closed file.
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you sign an agreement not to discuss specifics of their MMI format
What was the most difficult question?
Students said the most difficult question asked at University of California Davis School of Medicine discussed an MMI format, with scenarios and ethical questions. Respondents mentioned signing a nondisclosure agreement regarding the MMI format, and faced inquiries about ethics, personal qualities, career choices, and healthcare challenges during their interviews.
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NDA, MMI Interview
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signed an NDA
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An MMI scenario
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An unclear MMI scenario
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you sign an agreement not to discuss specifics of their MMI format
โ
Interview Preparation and Impressions โผ
How long was the interview?
Most respondents had an interview of more than 50 minutes.
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
How many people interviewed you?
Most respondents were interviewed by 2 people.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as low stress.
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
What was the style of the interview?
Most respondents had a one-on-one interview.
What type of interview was it?
Most respondents had an open file interview.
Was this interview in-person or virtual?
Most respondents had a virtual interview.
Data includes both pre- and post-COVID interviews.
Where did the interview take place?
Most respondents were interviewed at the school.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Most applicants prepared for the interview by reviewing their application, reading about the school and current healthcare issues, practicing with mock interviews, and using resources like SDN and the school's website. Many emphasized the importance of relaxing and being themselves during the interview to avoid feeling overwhelmed or psyching themselves out.
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I used BigInterview and their MMI/Ethical Scenario questions.
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general MMI prep, and practiced telling parts of my story succinctly (their MMI stations are really short, 5 minutes each)
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Trying to relax and be myself.
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Had previous MMI, read up on current events, read my application. Showed up confident and relaxed. Prepared all the little things (travel, room, food, comfy shoes) that helped the big day come together nicely.
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Read about the school, medical ethics thing, watched youtube videos on MMI (helps a ton!), and find any MMI question I can to practice on.
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the welcoming and friendly atmosphere at UCDSOM, noting the supportive and stress-free environment created by interviewers and students. They appreciated the beautiful and well-maintained facilities, the emphasis on early clinical experiences, student-run clinics, and the strong sense of community among students, faculty, and staff. Some specific highlights included the new Medical Education Building, the commitment to service and patient care, the pass/fail grading system, and the genuine enthusiasm of everyone they interacted with during the interview day.
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The interviewers were friendly and did their best to create an environment that was as stress-free as possible.
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Extremely welcoming and friendly. It was clear from the interview day how supportive of an environment UCDSOM is. The student panel was a nice chance to settle in and calm down before the interviews started.
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The warm and inviting culture of the school, transparency about the school and its admissions process, camaraderie, agreeableness, and enthusiasm of the students (lots of hugging), delicious and hot catered food for lunch, beautiful and well-maintained buildings and facilities, proximity of the education building to the hospital, and large student turn-out (almost 2:1 student:interviewee ratio) during the Q&A portion of the interview day.
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Hospitality of staff. They provided tic-tacs, floss, mouth wash and all that jazz in the rest rooms. There was also tissue, a bottle of water, hand sanitizer at each MMI. To me, the little things help! Also, I got to shadow a medical student at the student run clinic on Saturday which was an AMAZING experience.
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facilities, friendliness f staff
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants commonly expressed concerns about the challenging nature of the interview process, including difficulties with the AMP MMI system and the rushed nature of the schedule due to multiple Zoom meetings. Many also mentioned issues with communication and organization, such as late information, unclear instructions, and disorganized interview days, as well as concerns about outdated facilities and lack of opportunities for exploration and interaction during the interview day. Suggestions included clearer instructions, improved communication, more structured schedules, and updates to facilities.
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Using the AMP MMI system can be challenging to understand, and constantly leaving and joining Zoom meetings takes away from your time to answer the questions.
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Nothing at all. I walked away from my interview wanting UCDSOM soooo badly.
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sending out the info SUPER late! I got the info the interview about 7 days before my interview. We had to submit a photo a week before so I had to take a photo that day and send it in. Then the host program and student run clinics reservations were also done 7 days out. These are a guarantee so it's frustrating. Thankful I booked an AirBnB for Thursday night because I didn't want to wait a week before to sign up for the host program. Then I ended staying with a host on Friday night and going to the tour of the student run clinic on Saturday (which I didn't know I would be doing until 7 days before).
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Wish there were more opportunities/time to ask questions
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the tour is pretty lackluster and standard. The person who was our guide showed up late and got the tour times confused. it was pretty token.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Applicants commonly wished they had known ahead of time about the welcoming environment, the group interview with the Dean, the need for a car to travel between campuses, potential interview questions, and the upcoming relocation of the medical school to Sacramento. Many also highlighted the importance of having a positive impression of the school and its facilities.
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How kind and welcoming everyone would be
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Although you are being evaluated and will be stressed, you will walk away with a positive impression of the school and its students. They also provide water, tissues, mints, toothpicks, etc. for interviewees so you don't have to worry about your allergies or cold when you are interacting with each station.
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n/a
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about the "meet the dean" during mmi
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That the admission people are all super nice.
What are your general comments?
Applicants generally had positive experiences during their interviews at UC Davis, feeling relaxed and welcomed by the friendly staff and students. The day typically included multiple interviews, tours, and interactions with faculty and students, with a focus on conversational-style questions and creating a comfortable atmosphere. Some noted logistical challenges with transportation and downtime but overall viewed UC Davis as a great school with a warm and welcoming environment.
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Honestly as pleasant of an interview experience as I can imagine
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Fell in love with the school and felt at home. It's like they say... "When you know, you know!"
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Had a lot of fun with the staff and students. I also did the host program, which I would recommend. I went to eat dinner with the hosts and their friends and hostees the night before. It helped to break the ice with some of the people I was interviewing with. Staying the medical students also helped me with getting the know the school and their feelings with it.
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Seriously, just relax and be yourself for MMI. Many people told me that and I didn't fully believe it until it was my turn. xd It was very interesting!
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just be yourself, cliche, but because of the MMI format, thats really all you can do, because you can't study for it. get a good nights sleep the night before, come with questions for students, because you spend a fair amount of time with them in the morning and during lunch and on the tour.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants commonly suggest that the admissions office improve communication by providing information earlier, being more responsive to emails and calls, and offering clearer instructions for interview days. They also recommend addressing issues with the electronic application system and ensuring staff members are polite and helpful in all interactions.
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Keep up the great work!
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Please send out interview info earlier. It makes it difficult for people from out of state to plan the host program and an extra day for the student run clinic. Thankfully I flew Southwest and was able to change my flight without charge.
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Tell us ahead of time that we don't need to bring any notepad for the interview; and that water and tissues are supplied for us throughout the entire interview. If I had known, i would be less stressed (I have allergy so running nose is a big deal for me!!)
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Need to be more responsive to email and phone call questions/requests. They are very friendly in person, but difficult to reach/receive feeback/answers over phone and email. Frustratingly so.
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Request food preferences for applicants with special dietary needs
๐ On-Site Experience โผ
Who was the tour given by?
Tours were most commonly given by a Student
How did the tour guide seem?
Most tour guides were enthusiastic about the school.
What is your in-state status?
Most respondents are in state students.
What were your total hours spent traveling?
Most respondents spent 2-3 hours traveling to the interview.
What was your primary mode of travel?
Most respondents traveled by automobile to the interview.
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
Most respondents spent less than $100.
What airport did you fly into?
Respondents who flew to the interview generally used Sacramento International Airport (SMF)
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SMF
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Sac
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Sacramento
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Sacramento International
Where did you stay?
Most respondents stayed either Friends or family or with friends or family.
What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?
The most commonly mentioned hotel among the responses is Marriott.
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AirBNB the first night then host program the second night.
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Best Western
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Best Western-Med Park
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Comfort inn
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Courtyard MArriot right across from UCDMC
How would you rate the hotel?
Most respondents rated their hotel as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
Would you recommend the hotel?
Most respondents would recommend their hotel.
What are your comments on where you stayed?
No responses
All Responses
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